AP Top 25 live updates: Poll shakeup looms after USC stuns Ohio State

In a surprising turn of events, No. 2 Ohio State faced a major upset at the hands of No. 1 Miami, marking the biggest upset of the week and causing a significant shakeup in the AP Top 25 rankings. Miami held on to its undefeated record with a close 38-35 victory over North Carolina, while Ohio State fell to USC, further solidifying the potential for a major shift in the rankings.

Seven ranked teams lost this week, potentially triggering a chain reaction in the latter half of the rankings. South Carolina, USC and Iowa all put up strong fights to enter the poll, but a significant number of changes could be expected when the latest poll drops at 2 p.m. Eastern. The new poll could also lay the foundation for the initial College Football Playoff rankings, set to be released on Tuesday night.

Another noteworthy change could be the return of USC to the top five for the first time since 2019, following their 49-25 win over Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Iowa, which had a one-week absence, could also regain its spot after a shutout win over Wisconsin. The bottom of the poll could also see major changes, with six teams between Nos. 17 and 25 losing their respective games.

Interestingly, Maryland football, which recently fired coach Mike Locksley, offered free spring tuition to students who stayed through the fourth quarter of their Big Ten game against Illinois. Despite the relatively low attendance, the Terps might need to offer more incentives for future games. UCLA, an undefeated team, is also making strides, improving to 8-0 on the season in a so-called paycheck game.

However, their chances of reaching a No. 1 or No. 2 ranking are uncertain due to their lack of dominant performance in recent years.

UCLA is currently without their starting quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, but backup Ty Dieffenbach has been performing well, throwing for three touchdowns since taking over in a 17-15 win over Oregon. The selection committee will likely take into account the health of Indiana's quarterback, Josh Hoover, who came into their game against Minnesota with an arm injury and had to leave the field in overtime.

Indiana has lost all three of their last wins by a touchdown or less, but the committee has the discretion to factor in player availability when determining team rankings.

The Big 12 saw victories from Utah, BYU, and Texas Tech, with Texas Tech's 34-26 win over Arizona likely pushing the Wildcats out of contention for the conference title. BYU's 27-20 victory over Arizona State also bolstered their chances for the conference title and the subsequent playoff bid. Utah, currently leading the conference with a one-game lead over BYU and BYU, will face each other in the "Holy War" game next Saturday.

Halloween may have brought only minor horrors for the top teams in the AP Top 25, but the lower half of the rankings saw some significant losses. Ohio State appears to be headed for a tumble, while other teams may face consequences in the rankings due to the ripple effect of these upsets.